Thicker Than Blood
by Umbradominus19
Summary: Family is an interesting term to Samuel Garrison. He's met so many different kinds of them throughout his life as an orphan, yet he's never had one that he could consider true family. Coupled with near crippling depression and, well... cancer, you could see that Sam hasn't had the best of lives. However, maybe in a town called Beach City he can find the life he's always wanted.
1. Prologue

I find the topic of my leukemia a difficult one to converse about.

Not for the reason you may think, what with death looming over your head constantly like an asteroid about to collide head on with your body, or the occasional moments where the fevers you can contract makes it feel as though you're going to explode from the heat.

No, you see, I find it hard to talk about my leukemia because I want to be original.

Yes, be it from Faults in our Stars to Walks to Remember, there have been so many books, movies, and sob stories displayed over television about cancer that it's hard to keep track of. But how can I blame the media for liking stories like that: tragedy makes for good entertainment.

Now, I understand that these last couple of sentences may make me seem like kind of an asshole, but I'm not, I promise. I just wanted to make a point that's it's difficult to be original when it comes to cancer.

However, I think I have a story for you that you most likely will have never heard before in your life. Now, you may not believe me (Which is completely understandable, as it sounds bonkers), but I'm going to tell it regardless. So, pull up a chair, grab yourselves a drink, and make yourself comfortable.

My name is Samuel Garrison, and this is how I found a family within a boy named Steven and his alien moms.

* * *

"Beach City."

I looked up from my MP3 player, hearing the call of the bus woman by chance as the music drifting in between my headphones came to a pause once she said the previously stated location.

' _Looks like I've made it to my stop.'_ I thought.

Pausing my music, I stood up and slung my backpack over my shoulder. Stopping by the bus lady, I turned to her and said before I got off:

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, kid." She said in a gruff voice, somewhat clashing with her caring smile.

With that, I stepped out of the bus and into the early morning spring air. The bus then drove away down the road, off to continue its cycle of pick-up and drop-off.

Taking a look around the vicinity, I took notice that I was dropped in front of a donut shop. Looking into one of the panes of reflective glass, I saw what I looked like: I was wearing black beanie over my head (which was able to show tufts of my black hair from beneath its rim), and on my neck hung my headphones, which were black. What was also black was my zipped up hoodie and my pants. Underneath my hoodie was a grey shirt with a brick pattern, and splattered across it in red text was "Pink Floyd's The Wall".

Taking a deep breath and simultaneously stretching up, I noticed just how nice of a morning it was. The birds were singing, the sky was clear with naught a cloud in sight, and the gentle breeze listing through the area was charged with the scent of sea spray.

' _So this was my old home, eh? I can get used to this.'_ I thought with a smile.

Looking back towards the panes of glass to the donut shop, I figured that it was a long bus ride over here, I could use a bit of something to eat.

Stepping through the double doors and hearing a bell jingle from above them, I could see that a commotion was going on at the front counter. It appeared to be between a young boy in a pink starred shirt and jean shorts with curly black hair and a pleading expression, as well as young woman around his age with blonde hair and sympathy etched on her face.

"C'mon Sadie, I promise I'll pay you back next time!" The boy pleaded.

"I'm really sorry, Steven, but our policy states we can't give away food under the promise of 'I'll pay you back next time'." The apparent 'Sadie' said.

"Aww, but if you could just-"The Steven was about to continue, but was cut off by me saying:

"What're you having?" I asked the boy.

"Oh, uh… chocolate." Steven said.

"Add a jelly to that. I'm paying." I said as I reached into my wallet.

The boy then looked up to me and (somehow, someway, I'm not sure how) his eyes transformed into stars and began to hug my leg.

"Thank you so much!" He said with great excitement.

"O-of course." I said, slightly giggling at the boy's exuberance over a donut.

"Here you go, that'll be 2 dollars." Sadie said politely.

Fishing the necessary currency out of my wallet, I exchanged the bills for the donuts.

"Have a nice day!" Said Sadie.

'You too." I said back.

With that, I handed Steven his donut and began to head out the door, when I heard the boy stop me and say:

"Hold on! I haven't seen you around here. What's your name?"

"Oh, uh, it's Sam. Sam Garrison."

"Nice to meet you, Sam." Steven then held out his hand. "I'm Steven Universe!"

"Universe? Is that your actual last name?"

"Yup." Steven said simply.

"Okay, that's awesome." I said as I took his hand in mine, shaking it.

"Thanks. So, I take it you're new in town?" Steven asked.

"I am, actually, I just arrived a couple minutes ago."

"If that's the case, want me to show you around? I know all the cool spots!" Steven proudly proclaimed.

"Hmmm… Eh, I don't have anything better to do. Why not?" I said whilst smiling.

"Alright! Come on, follow me!" Steven said whilst rushing down the street. I laughed internally at the boy's energy.

' _He certainly has a lot more energy than I had as a kid. Now, I wonder where he's taking me.'_

Looking back on it now, I guess it didn't really matter where Steven took me that day. Because little did I know that because of him, my life was about to change so much for the better.

* * *

 **Good morrow people of Fanfiction! This is just a story idea that I've had tumbling around in my head for a while and I just wanted to see where it goes. With that said, please leave your reviews if you want to see more!**

 **P.S., sorry about how short this chapter is. As the title says, its more of a prologue than anything.**


	2. Getting to Know You

"Bits! Bits! Bits! Bits!"

I watched Steven with a small smile on my face as he harassed the workers of the fry stand he had taken me to. I decided not to order anything as I was still eating my donut, with Steven ordering… well, I think that was made rather obvious, wouldn't you agree?

"Okay, Okay, Steven," The young boy with blonde hair behind the counter said with exasperation. "You'll get your bits, just give me a second to get them."

"Thanks, Peedee!" Steven called after the boy as he disappeared into the kitchen. Reaching into his pockets shortly afterwards, Steven's face suddenly morphed into a nervous smile as he turned to me and said:

"Hey… you wouldn't mind, uh-"

"Paying again?" I said with a grin. "Don't worry, I've got you covered."

"Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I'll pay you back soon, I promise."

I brushed his comment off with the wave of my hand. "I appreciate the sentiment, Steven, but that won't really be necessary. I actually have a lot of excess money to burn, so I should actually thank you for helping me find ways to spend it." I said kindly. At least, I hope it sounded kind.

"If you say so." Steven said whilst smiling at me.

"Alright, here's your bits." Peedee said politely as he came back to the counter with a carrier of what appeared to be pieces of excess fries.

"Thank you!" Steven said as he reached up to grab his food. Simultaneously, I reached into my wallet and forked over the necessary currency for the item of purchase. With the bits bought, Steven and I made our way over to one of the several picnic style tables outside of the fry stand.

"So," Steven began as he and I started to sit down. "What brings you here to Beach City? Are you a tourist or are you planning on moving here?"

A very legitimate question. Yet do I answer it without giving away too much information… No. I should be open and honest. I came here to start a new life, the least I can do is be polite and oblige Steven's question.

"I'm actually planning on moving here. I bought a house here online recently, all I need to do is move in."

"Awesome!" Steven said excitedly "You're gonna love it here, I'm sure of it!"

"I hope so, Steven."

"Now, what about the reason you moved here? Anything specific?" Steven asked.

"… Eh, I just became tired of stagnating at the orphanage. I figured 'I'm eighteen, I finished with high school, and I don't have much time left: Why not strike it out on my own and see what happens?'"

"I see. Wait, orphanage!?" Steven said, apparently flabbergasted. "You mean… you don't have a family?" He continued on sadly.

"That is, unfortunately, the case." I said, unfeeling. I've gotten so used to telling this story that I've become rather numb to the feelings that crop up while telling it.

"I'm so sorry…" Steven said whilst peering at the ground.

"Don't be. Sometimes in life we get dealt the worst of hands, the trick is to figure out how to make the best of that hand so we still have a good time playing it, even if we lose."

Steven slowly looked up to me, his frown slowly turning into a smile.

"You seem really smart, you know that?" He said.

I laughed for a while before saying:

"I'm not smart. I just use common sense more often than most people, despite how much of a jerk that line makes me sound like."

Both Steven and I had a good laugh about that one. Though, since I brought up common sense that reminded me: I still needed to look for a job.

"Say Steven, I have a question for you: Do you know any place that's hiring around here?" I asked.

Steven gasped for some reason, and looked at me with his starry eyes once again.

"You're looking for a job? This must be fate!" Steven declared.

"Fate? How so?" I said with a chuckle.

"My dad told me recently that he's looking for somebody to run his carwash with! Are you interested?" Steven said, the look on his face rather pleading.

A carwash, huh? Well, it may not be the most prestigious of jobs, but I neither: A.) Had a degree of any sort, so I couldn't do much better and B.) I always had my nest egg to fall back on if anything happened while I was working.

"I am interested." I said to Steven, smiling.

"Alright! Follow me, let's go tell my dad!"

I suppose I didn't really have a choice in the matter, as Steven grabbed me by the arm and dragged my down the main street until we arrived at a dilapidated little carwash, entitled on a neon sign: 'It's A Wash'.

Out in front of the establishment was a rather colorful van and what appeared to be a man rummaging in the back of it. That must have been Steven's father, as when we were in proximity of him, Steven called out:

"Dad!"

And so, the man stopped rummaging and revealed himself. He wore a white tank top and jean shorts, had a balding head (Though he did admittedly have some rocking hair growing out of the back of his head), and a ridiculously bad farmers burn.

"Heya, Stu-ball! Who have you got here?" Steven's father asked with a grand smile.

"Why don't you tell him?" Steven said, looking upwards at me.

Guess I didn't have much of a choice, now didn't I?

"My name is Sam Garrison." I began, reaching out for the father's hand. Luckily, he reciprocated my handshake.

"Nice to meet ya, Sam! I'm Greg Universe!"

"Tell him why you came here!" Steven said excitedly.

"Okay, hold your horses." I said with a laugh. "To clarify why Steven is so excited, I just rolled into town and I'm looking for work. I've heard from your son that you're hiring."

"Really? That's fantastic!" Greg stated. "Why don't you take a look around the place and see if it meets your standards. I'll be waiting!"

"Thanks. I'll be back in a few." I said with a wave of my hand.

There wasn't much to say about the place. It was a regular carwash with both an automatic wash and a self-wash with some signs of wear here and there. I was about to go back to Greg and Steven when I noticed something in the back of Greg's van. Something I had been searching for, for quite some time.

"No way…" I whispered as I walked toward the van. Reaching into the box it was located in, I opened its cover and marveled at its authenticity.

"Hey, Sam, what do you have there?" Greg questioned.

"You have an original copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?" I asked Greg in wonder.

The man I was asking chuckled when I finished my question.

"What, that old thing? It's beat to heck!" Greg said with a smile.

It indeed was. At least, the booklet holding the record was. The record itself seemed to be in near perfect.

"Still, At least you have a copy. I have pretty much every other record by the Fab Four: Revolver, Rubber Soul, Abby Road, Let it be. But I could never find this one."

"… Do you want to take it?" Greg questioned, still smiling.

I turned to him with unprecedented speed.

"Are you serious?"

"Sure! Think of it as a 'Welcome to Beach City/you're hired' gift."

"Wait, you're hiring me? But we've only just met."

"True, but I do know that you're a decent guy because my son likes you, and you have a good taste in music. As long as you can promise me you'll put forth a good effort, I think we'll get along just fine!"

I looked to Greg for a long time before I smiled and said:

"Thank you. So much. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"Aw, you don't need to pay me back-"

"I noticed by the mattress in your van that you're without a home?" I Interrupted Greg.

"Oh, uh… Yeah, sorta. But I'm getting along just fine-"

"Come live with me." I said abruptly.

"… What?" Steven and Greg said simultaneously, the former smiling and the latter blank faced.

"Come live with me. I just bought a house that's a few blocks from here and there's a spare room that's needing to be filled." I said, smiling giddily.

"A-a-are you sure, man? I mean, you only just met me." Greg questioned.

"I said the same thing a few seconds ago, remember? Yet you gave me a job and one of the greatest records of all time without a second thought."

Greg looked as if emotions were about to overtake him, when suddenly he wrapped me in a bone crushing bear hug. He sniffled as he said.

"Thank you, man"

"Don't… mention… it." I managed to wheeze out before he let go of me.

"Yeah! Now we can be a family!" Steven exclaimed.

"Family? I think you might be going a couple steps too fast." I said, chuckling nervously.

However, looking back on things now, I never realized how right Steven would come to be.

* * *

 **Good Morrow, people of Fanfiction! Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rough around the edges, I just wanted to get it out there. With that being said, please leave your reviews and tell me what you think/what I can improve.**


	3. Who's Coming to Dinner?

"Steven."

Greg, Steven and I craned our necks to see where the voice was emanating. It was coming from a tall woman with dark skin, boxy hair, a stoic expression, and a visor situated over her eyes in a manner in which you couldn't see them.

"Oh, hey Garnet!" Steven piped up. "What's up?"

"I just came to tell you that dinner is soon." Garnet said, the smallest of smiles curing her lips slightly. "We're having pizza."

"Really? Aw, yeah!" Steven exclaimed. Soon after, he gasped and looked in my direction. "You should have dinner with us!"

"I'm sorry, what?" I said.

"You should have dinner with us!" Steven repeated. "Families have dinner together, don't they?" He asked rhetorically.

"I guess they do." I said with a chuckle.

"What do you say, Garnet? Can he have dinner with us?" Steven turned to the tall woman.

Garnet then took several long strides towards me, stopping right as her face was in mine. Then she just… stared at me. Long and hard. At least I think she was staring at me, it was hard to tell with that visor.

I won't lie, she was rather intimidating.

After several moments, however, she backed away from me and said bluntly:

"Yeah. It's alright."

"Woohoo!" Steven shouted, running towards a house on the beach nearby. "See ya, Dad! I'll meet you at the house Sam, Garnet!"

And with that, he disappeared into the house. Afterwards, I turned to Greg and said:

"Say, you wouldn't mind if I kick off early, would you?"

"If it makes my son happy, not at all!" Greg said happily.

"Thanks. I'll show you the house when I'm done."

"Awesome! See ya later, Sam!"

"Adios." I said, beginning to walk away with Garnet.

* * *

Several steps into our walk, Garnet said:

"This is really kind of you to do."

"What, accepting a dinner invitation? Please, if anything, I should be thanking you for giving me a meal."

"I'm serious." Garnet said bluntly, turning to me and stopping in her tracks. "Steven is a very kind soul and he likes to share that kindness. However, most people in this town don't react to said kindness as well as you do, so it's always nice to see Steven make a new friend. And you seem like a good enough person to deserve to be his friend."

I looked at Garnet with an incredulous smile.

"And you got all of this from just standing close to me and staring. I'm impressed. Tell me what else did you gather about me in this short time of knowing each other?"

"I know that you have cancer."

…Silence. Dead silence.

"… H-how did you-"

"I have my ways of knowing things. Speaking of your cancer, we should hurry up. You're about to have an attack and you'll want something comfortable to lie on." Garnet said, as if it were just an everyday occurrence.

"E-e-excuse me? I'm feeling just fine, thank you-"

Then the heat.

Then the unbearable heat.

So unbearable that whilst taking off my hoodie to try and get rid of some of the heat (which worked to no avail), I had to drop on all fours to support myself. I was just that weak.

No, no, no! I can't be having an attack! I haven't had one for months now, I thought I had gotten over them.

But apparently not.

"What's going on over here!?" Greg said whilst rushing over to our side.

"He's having an attack."

"Attack? Of what?"

"Cancer." Garnet said as bluntly as ever.

"Cancer!? You have cancer and you didn't think to tell me about it?" Greg said worriedly.

I wanted to respond. I wanted to say something so badly, to at least make myself look somewhat in control.

However, my body had other plans.

*Cough, Hack, Wheeze*

My body was violently retching, or as much as it could do so while I was on all fours.

Oh god, not this. This is the worst part whenever an attack happens.

"S-Sam?" Greg asked nervously

*GAG*

Then there was red.

A pool of red swam in vision, the blood I expelled from my mouth a little gift to the pavement below.

Now, to go off on a small tangent, have you ever had that feeling where it feels like there's a bug buzzing around in your head? Very strange question, I know, but it does tie in my current condition.

Now imagine, if you will, that bug was a wasp.

Now imagine, once again, if said wasp decided to find a nice little place on your brain and sting down, the venom of its sting oozing throughout every neuron of your cerebrum and making it feel like wanting to shrivel out of existence due to the pain it was feeling.

That would be rather accurate representation of what it felt like my brain was going through.

"AAAAHHHH!" I screamed out, gripping the sides of my head with clawed hands.

"Jesus Christ, what do we do!?" Greg asked in a panic.

"Quickly, to the house!" Garnet said in desperation.

Garnet picked me up without what appeared to be any real effort on her part, my body limp in an awkward and tortuous mix of pain and weakness, and began striding towards the house Steven disappeared into.

With Garnet opening the door and rushing inside, I was in too much pain to notice a slender woman with what appeared to be a gem on her forehead say:

"Greetings, Sam. We're happy to have you… Goodness, what's wrong with him!?"

"He's in a lot of pain. Right now, he needs somewhere to lie down on." Garnet said, dripping with calmness.

Now, this may have been the pain making my brain delirious, but I could have sworn I saw a stubby purple woman come near me and say:

"Geez, Steven. This guy ain't looking as cool as you said he was."

Then, a young girl you appeared around Steven's age with dark skin (Yet another stranger I would have to profusely apologize to when this ordeal was over) inched her way over to Garnet's side, Steven at her hip with a deeply worried expression.

"Is this that Sam guy you were talking about?" The girl said looking at Steven. "He looks like he's about to die!"

"He's not going to die, Connie." Garnet said self-assuredly. "He just need's somewhere to rest."

"Um, ah, uh…" Steven said in a panic, looking around the room. "Oh! He can use my bed!"

That apparently was the only go-ahead Garnet needed, as right after Steven said that she (somehow, I don't know how. Maybe it was the fever making me delirious again.) Leaped up near the ceiling and dropped down on the landing that held Steven's bed.

Gently placing me down on Steven's bed, Garnet then began to (Presumably. Again, that visor made it difficult for me make out what she was doing with her eyes) Look my deeply in the eyes whilst… for some odd reason, stoking my hair.

"It's going to be okay. You're going to get through this." Garnet said in a maternal nature.

Yeah… Yeah, she was right. I could get through this, I've gotten through it a couple times before.

Steven must have climbed the ladder leading to his bed, as now his head was in my field of vison.

"Don't go…" He said, his eyes on the verge of tears. "… We were just starting to become a family."

A gave my best attempt at a laugh to soothe Steven. It more or less came out as a cough-riddled chuckle.

"Don't worry, Steven. I've dealt with worse. In a couple minutes I'll be…"

Weak. Too weak to finish my sentence.

Then my senses went to hell.

Touch numbed.

Sound blurred.

Scent frazzled.

And sight blackened.

Then, I closed my eyes, wanting sweet release…

* * *

 **Good Morrow, People of Fanfiction! Don't worry, (spoiler alert) Sam isn't dead. I didn't plan on making this fic THAT short. Anyways, I've been pondering this question for a bit so I'll ask you lovely lot:**

 **Would you like to see a romance subplot with Sam and Garnet?**

 **It's completely fine if you don't, that's why I'm asking you guys. Regardless of what your response, leave your reviews to tell me what you think/what I can improve/your answer to my question!**


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